LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Honor Flight Southern Nevada’s upcoming April trip to Washington, D.C., will go without any World War II veterans after a public call for participants drew no takers.
FOX5 reporter Joe Vigil, who has covered Honor Flight for years and traveled on multiple flights, said the lack of sign-ups reflects the shrinking number of living World War II veterans.
“Just over 45,000 World War II veterans remained alive as of 2025,” Vigil said, citing data from the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. “That’s just not a lot — out of 16 million or so who served.”
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Who can still join the April flight
The April flight will still take place, with Korean War and Vietnam War veterans making up the group. Vigil said the deadline for World War II veteran sign-ups has now passed.
Honor Flight Southern Nevada currently has a waiting list of approximately 400 people, with each flight taking around 35 veterans. The organization prioritizes participants based on how long they have been waiting, their age, and their ability to travel.
Each veteran is paired with a guardian who pays their own expenses and accompanies the veteran throughout the entire trip.
How Honor Flight started
Vigil said the organization traces its roots to a physician assistant and retired Air Force captain in Ohio who flew one of his veteran patients to Washington at his own expense to see the World War II Memorial.
“The veteran accepted and said, ‘I would probably have no other way to go,’” Vigil said. “And that’s basically how Honor Flight started.”
There are now more than 100 nonprofit Honor Flight chapters across the country.
What the trip looks like
For most chapters, the trip is a single day. Veterans fly from their home city to Washington, tour war memorials by bus — including the World War II, Vietnam, and Korean War memorials — and return home the same day.
Vigil described the experience as emotionally significant for many veterans, particularly at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.
“You look in the wall, and there’s your buddy who served with you, who died, but you lived,” he said. “It’s very difficult for a lot of these people.”
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Veterans are greeted with applause at airports on both ends of the trip. Vigil recalled World War II veteran Daniel Chavez, who traveled on the 2024 Honor Flight Southern Nevada trip.
“As we approached the World War II Memorial, a lot of clapping and cheering, and some of his family was there,” Vigil said. “And he said, ‘To see this many people and all them applauding for little old me.’”
Virtual tours for veterans who can’t travel
For veterans unable to make the trip, Honor Flight Southern Nevada has also offered virtual reality tours using goggles that show the Washington memorials.
“It’s not quite like what you see out there,” Vigil said. “But it’s just another way that Honor Flight tries to help these men and women.”
How to get involved
Veterans, guardians, and community members who want to welcome veterans home can contact Honor Flight Southern Nevada through Facebook or by phone. Vigil said volunteers are also encouraged to show up at the airport to greet returning veterans.
FOX5 will travel on the April flight.
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